PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The value of Maine’s potato harvest rose 3 percent last year over 2009.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service said preliminary figures show Maine farmers last year produced nearly 1.6 billion pounds of potatoes with a value of $159.2 million. That’s up from 2009, when the harvest was valued at $154.2 million.

Officials say Maine farmers planted nearly 55,000 acres of spuds last year, with a yield of 29,000 pounds per acre.